Finding healthy alignment embodies five key lifestyle factors. These are an integral piece to eating-living-and supporting our mind and body for health, vitality, and longevity.
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Stress Management
- Sleep
- Attitude
A well-balanced combination of these five areas provides us with what we need to feel and live at our very best.²
NUTRITION
Understanding and implementing proper dietary habits will help support a healthy internal-external balance. For instance, focus on a diet rich in:
- Healthy unsaturated fats
- Whole grains
- Lean proteins
- Fruits
- Vegetables
Remember to limit trans and saturated fats, refined grains, and high sugar sources to help reduce the risk of disease and illness. Just by making these two nutritional changes you will promote healthy weight maintenance and improve various organ systems.³
EXERCISE
Regular exercise is an essential piece of a healthy lifestyle. Movement carries many short and long term benefits, especially when combined with the other four factors discussed below! Fun fact, dating as far back as 2500 BC, ancient China holds records of organized exercise for health5, it is also one of the most frequently prescribed therapies in the present day for both disease management/prevention and for health.5
Recent research on active vs. inactive women found a 52% increase in all-cause mortality and a 29% increase in cancer-related mortality.5 This data alone supports that regular exercise and physical activity produce significant health benefits.
HEALTHY STRESS MANAGEMENT
A silent killer, stress, can often go unmanaged and completely ignored, without the negative health effects being considered. Lack of proper stress management in young and old individuals can cause¹:
- Loss of motivation
- Fatigue or exhaustion
- Feelings of frustration or heightened emotional response
- Loss of focus
- Inability to adapt to changing situations
Being able to identify, cope, and manage stress involves looking inward to practice self-awareness. It is also important to become educated on the physical effects and responses to stress so you can work on effective coping strategies.¹
SLEEP
Poor sleep patterns can have short and long-term effects on health and vitality. Through hundreds of well-researched studies, scientists have identified the ways in which sleep serves multiple functions of the body.6 In those who experience inadequate or disrupted sleep, a toll of sleep deficits occurs. This resulted in negative performance, poor working memory, loss of cognitive speed, and decreases in accuracy.6 In addition, studies indicate that poor sleep can dramatically impact psychological well-being and psychosocial interpretation, which, when combined, can exacerbate stress levels.6
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Attitude is everything, and understanding that there is a deeply rooted connection between how we think and how we feel to how our body responds (mind-body connection) is the final piece to the total vitality and healthy living puzzle. Researchers suspect that those who experience a more positive attitude are more likely to be protected against the inflammatory damages of stress, with studies further supporting that negative emotions can weaken immune response.4 It has also been suggested that positivity can help people to make better choices in regard to their health and lifestyle.4
Interested in finding your alignment? Reach out today to learn more about the Balanced Habits nutrition program and how I focus my coaching around total health and longevity. Email me here or click to visit our site page.